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I LOVE YOU MORE THAN YOU'LL EVER KNOW

Name: I LOVE YOU MORE THAN YOU'LL EVER KNOW
Author: Leslie Odom Jr.
ISBN: 9781250265647

by Leslie Odom Jr. & Nicolette Robinson ; illustrated by Joy Hwang Ruiz ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 28, 2023

A gentle testament to one of the few things that never changes—a parent’s love.

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Husband-and-wife team and Broadway stars Odom and Robinson offer up an ode to the bond between parents and their growing children.

Starting with a Black couple—perhaps stand-ins for the authors—and their little ones, the book portrays racially diverse families joyously engaged in a variety of activities (breastfeeding, cuddling on the couch, blowing bubbles in the park) as their babies mature. Addressed from parent to child (“Do you remember / when we first met? / It was a moment / I won’t soon forget”), the tender verse exudes love and reassurance, while Hwang Ruiz’s bright digital illustrations depict everyday moments. Toasty yellows, browns, and tans, along with vibrant greens and purples, make each page glow with an effervescent warmth that feels like a cozy embrace. Many books are devoted to the bond between parents and babies, but this one celebrates the transition from baby to toddler and toddler to big kid. The rhyming text lends itself well to emerging readers as well as to a bedtime read for the very young. The book depicts a variety of families, including some with parents who appear to be same-sex as well as a parent who uses a wheelchair. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A gentle testament to one of the few things that never changes—a parent’s love. (Picture book. 2-7)

Pub Date: March 28, 2023

ISBN: 9781250265647

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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HOW TO CATCH A MAMASAURUS

From the How To Catch… series

by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024

A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series.

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Another creature is on the loose.

The long-running series continues its successful formula with this Hallmark card of a book, which features bright illustrations and catchy rhymes. This time, the mythical creature the racially diverse children set out to catch is an absent mom who does it all (lists of descriptors include the words banker, caregiver, nurse, doctor, driver, chef, housekeeper, teacher, entertainer, playmate, laundry service, problem solver, handywoman, cleaner, and alarm clock) but doesn’t seem to have a job outside the home and is inexplicably a dinosaur. As the children prepare gifts and a meal for her, the text becomes an ode to the skills the Mamasaurus possesses (“Day or night she’s always there. / She meets every wish and need”) and values she instills (“Sometimes life can mean hard work,” “kindness matters,” and “what counts is doing your best”). This well-intentioned selection veers into cliche generously sprinkled with saccharine but manages to redeem itself with its appreciation for mothers and all that they may do. Endpapers include a “to” and “from” page framed in a heart, as well as a page where young gift givers or recipients can draw a picture of their Mamasaurus.